So it looks like the AFC has claimed the top 3 spots on this week’s power rankings, although ranks 4-7 are all NFC teams. A few division champions were decided this week as well. The best division seems to be the NFC North right now, with the worst division clearly being the AFC West. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Rank

Team

Change

Record

Reasoning

1

Texans

--

11-1

With a convincing win against the Titans, the Texans stay on top of the AFC. Next week, they face the Patriots in a battle of 2 AFC powerhouses.

2

Broncos

+2

9-3

A solid performance on every front. The Broncos came out with a solid win against the Buccaneers on Sunday to clinch their division.

3

Patriots

--

9-3

Even when Brady isn’t at his best, the Patriots can come out on top. The Patriots have clinched the AFC East, but they have a tough game against the Texans next week.

4

Falcons

+1

11-1

The Falcons defense completely dominated the Saints, ending Brees’s touchdown streak and intercepting him 5 times. They are most likely headed for a first round bye.

5

49ers

-3

8-3-1

The 49ers collapsed against the Rams by allowing a field goal, touchdown, and 2 point conversion in the last 3 minutes, then losing in overtime.

6

Packers

+1

8-4

The Green Bay offense is slowly coming back, but their defense really came through to help them win against the Vikings.

7

Giants

-1

7-5

Another division loss put the Giants just 1 game ahead of the Redskins and Cowboys. They’ll need to step it up considering the difficulty of the rest of their schedule.

8

Colts

+2

8-4

Andrew Luck led the Colts to the comeback of the year against the Lions. 2 tough matchups against the Texans lie ahead.

9

Seahawks

+2

7-5

Everyone’s been ignoring Russell Wilson, who’s quietly having an amazing rookie season. The Seahawks look like they’re on their way to the playoffs.

10

Ravens

-1

9-3

The Ravens lost to the Charlie Batch-led Steelers in a complete 4th quarter collapse. The Steelers and Bengals are slowly creeping up behind them in the AFC North.

11

Bears

-3

8-4

The Bears and Steelers are both 8-4. With probable wins for both teams next week, the Bears-Packers matchup in week 15 will probably decide who wins the NFC North.

12

Steelers

+4

7-5

Even with all the injuries, the Steelers are still doing well. They face the Chargers next week in what looks to be an easy win.

13

Redskins

+1

6-6

The Redskins beat the Giants to complete their 3-0 tour of the NFC East. They have put themselves back in the playoff conversation after being 3-6 through their first 9 games.

14

Bengals

+3

7-5

The Bengals continue their 4-0 win streak by beating the Chargers. The AFC North is slowly rising up again.

15

Buccaneers

-3

6-6

The Buccaneers need a win after 2 straight losses. It looks like they’re gonna get one when the Eagles come to Tampa Bay this week.

16

Vikings

-3

6-6

Peterson has been beasting it, but this team cannot win games with Ponder as QB and Musgrave as the offensive coordinator.

17

Saints

-2

5-7

In a bizarre change of pace, the Saints defense came through on Sunday, but the offense let them down. They are effectively out of the playoff race at this point.

18

Cowboys

+1

6-6

After getting dominated by the Eagles during the first half, Dallas managed to pull out a win. They have a tough schedule ahead, so they can’t afford to be this inconsistent.

19

Rams

+2

5-6-1

The Rams defense has been really clutch lately. The Rams are on the rise, and it looks like the NFC West is going to have at least 3 scary teams for the next few years.

20

Lions

-2

4-8

The Lions continue to find ways to lose games in the second half. They allowed 2 touchdowns in the last 6 minutes, including one on the last play of the game.

21

Dolphins

-1

5-7

The defense really stepped it up against a powerhouse Patriots offense, but the Dolphins couldn’t win this one.

22

Browns

+4

4-8

The Browns grab their 2nd win in a row, and they have an easily winnable matchup against the Chiefs next week. Their defense should be able to shut the Chiefs down.

23

Bills

+1

5-7

The Bills picked up an easy win against the Jaguars as CJ Spiller and the running game picked apart the Jaguars defense.

24

Chargers

-1

4-8

Nothing seems to be going well for the Chargers offense. I’ll say it again, Norv Turner needs to be fired, and the next draft should basically just be focused on a new O-line.

25

Panthers

--

3-9

Cam Newton hitting his stride again couldn’t bring the Panthers a win. The coaching staff needs to be fired before the Panthers can become a playoff team.

26

Jets

-1

5-7

This can barely even be considered a win for the Jets. Despite his poor performance, the Jets have decided to stick with Mark Sanchez as their starter.

27

Cardinals

-5

4-8

The Cardinals offense needs a complete overhaul this offseason. At its best, there is mediocre QB play, no run game, an awful O-line and Larry Fitzgerald: a single great receiver cannot carry this team.

28

Eagles

+2

3-9

The Eagles continued their 8 game losing streak against the Cowboys. It wouldn’t be crazy if they didn’t win a single game for the rest of the season considering their opponents.

29

Titans

-1

4-8

Although the Titans defense played well, it’s extremely difficult to win games when your offense turns the ball over 6 times.

30

Jaguars

-1

2-10

Chad Henne couldn’t continue his recent hot streak as the Jaguars fell to the Bills in the second half.

31

Raiders

--

3-9

The Raiders made Brandon Weeden look incredible. I don’t think there’s a worse defense in the league.

32

Chiefs

--

2-10

Brady Quinn led the Chiefs to their 2nd win of the season, but I don’t think the Chiefs will be able to continue this level of play.

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